Her brother John would surely have grabbed the seat were he still alive - so why shouldn't Caroline? Some are not taking it well, asking what her qualifications are.

United States Representative Gary Ackerman, a Queens Democrat, said last week that he did not know what Ms. Kennedy’s qualifications were, “except that she has name recognition — but so does J. Lo.”

How ungracious. Teddy had no qualifications when he was made Senator a hundred years ago, and Barack Obama had no qualifications to be president when he set out on his campaign two years ago. By comparison, this will be like putting Einstein into the senate.

Ms. Kennedy, 51, a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, took an unusually public role in Mr. Obama’s campaign, and the two became friends. Mr. Obama appointed Ms. Kennedy to the panel that vetted potential vice-presidential candidates for him.
Before that, Ms. Kennedy had devoted much of her time to charitable works and institutions linked to her family, like the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, of which she is president.

What experience is really required to be a senator if none is needed for the presidency.